I’ve been on my job since the end of August 2020. I’m three months in. I want to talk about what it was like to get started from where I started. I am literally and figuratively not whole today. I am so much better off than I was pre-employment but I don’t get to relax on a cushion of funds. Money is still tight.
Let’s stop right here and acknowledge my privilege today. I earn significantly more than the average American salary. It’s not trivial for a Black woman, with no degrees to make over $100k.
With that said, I’ve lived underwater for so long. Not having enough money and adequate healthcare coverage has had health implications. I’ve been accumulating debt my entire adult life. I’m pulling myself out of a deep financial hole.
Words are getting stuck. I know I have more to say but I can’t right now. Maybe I’ll revisit this when the words come back.
The last thought I have is to consider stories like mine when you talk about pay equity and gender and racial wealth gaps. Even at $100k, it’s going to take a while for me to get to zero net worth compared to a negative one. It’s going to take months to get the medical and dental treatment I need to not be in pain and discomfort daily.
I am in a race to get to a place of safety and just okay and I still have a job to do in exchange for this salary. I’m looking forward to the day that the fog of poverty lifts and I can see what I’m capable of at my full capacity. I have no idea what it’s like to not live under constant financial stress.
I’m going to try to record this journey as I live through it.
hats off to you for so many reasons, not in the least you’ve brought yourself to this stage in your life! you will get there and beyond, and recording and sharing it is as you go through it is a practical gift to others 👏👏
Thanks for sharing, I wish you the very best Nikema!
Thank you 😊
Thanks for sharing!
You’re headed in the right direction and positioned yourself to overcome a ton of challenges.
Speaking from experience and those of others, once you break free of the nasty forms of debt, your net worth is going to look like a rocket ship. 🚀
Thanks for looking out, Luke. I just opened some new credit cards but I know how to leverage them now and I don’t use them at all unless I have the money to cover the purchase. My old accounts are in collections and I dedicate no more than 20% of my income to paying old debts.
Soon(ish) imagine what that 20% can do as a part of building instead of recovering.
Keep at it! 💪🏽
Paying all the debt from before 6 figures takes a while 😭
Damn, thanks for sharing this.
I know this took guts to write. Thanks for sharing. Speaking from limited experience, this resonates so deeply.
I’m right there with you. Still digging out from under debt and medical stuff. Oof.
Nikema, is there a way to give a gift outside of Patreon or GitHub sponsorship? I apologise in advance if you have brought this up before.
Sure, what service do you prefer? I will update my page with the other options and check back here.
Venmo, Cash, or PayPal are what I use with friends and family. But, I don’t know what their fees may be offhand.
V*nmo: @Nikema | C@shApp: $nikema23 | p@yPal: PayPal.me/nikema123
Done. Continued success.
Thanks for your support, Eric 😀 Thank you for going out of your way to do that.
Thank you for going out of your way and making those accounts. As I said, from one software engineer to another, keep up the good work and all the best! 😀
Oof. I’m not making quite that much but I am finally making more than “check to check” (or less) and it’s definitely a long slog out of the holes I’m in.
I’m glad you’re on the path though.
Dental work is unbelievably expensive and insurance doesn’t cover it. I’m facing at least $5000 of costs and into debt I will go, not to mention I‘ve been putting off new glasses for 9 years. Appointments coming soon. It adds up.
I’ve put a couple of grand into my dentistry so far and I really need to do the new glasses thing soon; it’s been a decade or so.
I feel this so deeply ❤️ – you are not alone
Done! My site is updated at go.nikemaprophet.com/twitter
I totally hear you. People think that once they arrive at making a decent salary, they’re going to magically see all their money problems disappear. That’s the insidious thing about pay and opportunity inequity. It builds a hole that literally goes back generations. Many of us didn’t have parents to give them a boost or start so that we could take some of the opportunities that pay less but pay off later like those in tech startups with stock options. Many of us start out with so much debt from college because we didn’t have the grants and scholarships that come from “top” schools or other entitlements. So yes, you will feel the climb from the hole for a while and I want you to know that your courage to share is important for many to understand.
Hang tight. It gets better.
Good read ✨
Well done Nikema! You deserve and can achieve the level of financial success you desire. You have come a long way and it may take some time to chip away at the debts but it can be done. Let me know if I can help.
Thanks for sharing your journey. It’s incredible how far you’ve come since we first spoke. I hope thing continue to improve, you know where to find me if you ever need to chat.
@dev_nikema I’m curious how you are thinking and feeling about this hole dog-out now, 5 months later
Thank you so much for writing this.
💛
I can totally relate to this. Just be kind to yourself, you’ve come so far. And if you slip, you at least know you can get back up 💕
“Hole dig-out” 🤦♀️ ** ^
I got dog on the brain lol
Hey, Roz. I’m feeling much better and I’m in a better place in all the ways now. I’ve been meaning to retire and unpublish that post.
Seems like it’s a valid and compelling part of your story whatever you end up deciding to do with it. Look forward to seeing what you do this year now that I’m looking from further away : )
Ooooh and the book!
👏👏👏 Seriously, not talked about enough. I have plenty of privilege but my safety net is still nothing compared to friends who make half my salary but have generational wealth, got help from parents, don’t financially support family, etc. Can’t imagine also having medical $.
Hey, let me try this as genuinely as I can.
I suck at managing money on a month to month basis. Investing? Sure, I can do that pretty well. Remember to pay a bill, or set up auto bill pay, nope. Neurodivergent brain says nope.
My wife, however, is pretty amazing at it because..
She knows the impact, and she prioritizes the month to month stuff with systems and tools. So much so that we have hats with our favorite budgeting software’s logo. We bought them and rep without shame because of how extremely helpful YNAB has been.
I can relate
i’ll be following your journey and just know there are people here with you. we see you, we feel you 💕
You’ve been a huge inspiration to me
So happy you’re getting closer to the stability and care that you deserve
Plus, if you got into a higher paying job later in life and couldn’t afford to invest for retirement until then, it’ll take a lot more money to catch up to someone who started investing earlier to end up with the same nest egg at retirement. It’s a lifetime of playing catchup.
Thank you, Emmett. I’m team @EmmettNaughton, BTW. I can’t wait to see your unmistakably big break come through. It’s just a matter of time and persistence
☺️☺️☺️
I can help with a budget ! Always here
This is really brave to put out there 👏
Income and wealth inequality is staggering in the US. So many people are driven to have negative wealth for all sorts of reasons, and ‘six figures’ isnt what is used to be, especially in large cities.
It’s important to say! Class and race and gender inequalities can take generations to recover from.
People don’t get what it’s like to live underemployed for so long. You get a job, and now you have to pay off that deficit. And it’s not just about climbing out of consumer debt that you used to buy groceries so your meager salary went to rent, it’s the underwater car you still
Same here! I know I have a lot of privilege as a white guy, but I’m still struggling even though I make five figures a month. I had to live on high interest loans during my divorce. It will take me years to get out of debt
This is your time 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 All the best 😊
I think @tanoaksam was pointing this out for California living.
Yep. It’s a total mess. I changed careers and nearly tripled my income and most of California is still too expensive for me.
if you have an interest in cohousing I know of some communities being developed in Northern California. typically they cost less and bring savings by spreading costs for things like pools and workshops across many households. DM me for more info
It’s wild to see this was posted last year and WHAT A TIME. I avoided reading at that time. It was and is heavy and something that isn’t talked about in the tech circles. Have you thought about writing an update to your journey?
Yes, I need to do something with this. Either take it down or update. It felt important to say at the time but a year later I’m in a better place. It’s definitely better but I’m still paying for my past. An infected, broken, tooth was a painful reminder about a week ago.
I have to say, Tech salaries on your side of the pond are insane. But I still can’t see me living there because of the fear of medical expenses, it’s frightening.
Tech jobs come with good medical insurance.
I didn’t know that and I’m not entirely sure what “good” insurance looks like. I’ve been comparing to the universal coverage we have here.
It’s complicated and diverse in the US. It can provide better access and greater choice, while still being insufficient for catastrophic illnesses.
But, metal insurance is, overall, a major part of a compensation package, and tech jobs can come with some of the best insurance offerings.
*health insurance
Yeah, that’s what I’d worry about. The everyday case is probably super smooth and cheap with the right coverage. It’s those catastrophic, long term problems that you would have problems with. And that’s the system our genius politicians want us to move to. 😱
It’s tricky. My insurance is for family of retired military. If my accident had occured in Canada or Britain, I would have had a poor outcome. Other people in the US could have had an excellent outcome, with good insurance, but a large copay. I got outstanding outcome, low copay.